Certified Humane® welcomes BRF Brasil's Sadia brand of chicken to the program

HERNDON, Va., Aug. 22, 2016 /CNW/ -- Humane Farm Animal Care (HFAC) has accepted BRF Brasil – one of the largest food companies in the world – into the Certified Humane® program for 33 of their chicken farms in Goiás (Midwest Brazil). BRF Brasil produces chicken products sold under the Sadia brand, the leading chicken brand offered to the Brazilian market for decades through recipes developed by celebrity chef Jamie Oliver.  

"BRF Sadia is improving the lives of more than 40 million birds under the Certified Humane® Brasil program," said Luiz Mazzon, Director of Certified Humane® in South America. "We expect this program to continue to grow as more and more consumers demand humanely-raised food."

Headquartered in Herndon, Virginia, HFAC is the leading international nonprofit certification program improving the lives of millions of farm animals in food production. Today, the Certified Humane® label can be found on meat, poultry, egg, and dairy products in five countries – the U.S., Canada, Brazil, Chile and Peru. Under the Certified Humane® program, producers must use HFAC's precise Animal Care Standards for the humane treatment of farm animals raised in food production and be inspected regularly to be in compliance with the Certified Humane® program. Animals must receive a nutritious diet without antibiotics or hormones and must be raised with shelter, resting areas and space sufficient to support natural behaviors, like spreading their wings, perching on posts, living cage-free lives and moving freely on pastures.

Adele Douglass, Executive Director for HFAC, says BRF's commitment to humane farm animal care will resonate with other food producers and farms worldwide. "Having one of the largest food companies in the world commit to raising their animals Certified Humane® shows that any producer of any size can commit to raising farm animals humanely," she says. "BRF will set a high bar for other food producers and farmers to follow."

Since HFAC launched the Certified Humane® program in 2003, more than 140 companies, representing thousands of farms and more than 514 million farm animals, have been raised under HFAC's precise Animal Care Standards.

Consumers can visit HFAC's "Where to Buy" page or download the free Certified Humane® app to search for nearby stores that sell Certified Humane® products in English, Spanish, Portuguese and French.

For more information on HFAC and the Certified Humane® label, visit www.certifiedhumane.org.

CONTACTS: Luiz Mazzon, Humane Farm Animal Care, Director General, Certified Humane® - South America, [phone], [email protected]; Adele Douglass, Humane Farm Animal Care, Executive Director-USA, 703-435-3883, [email protected]

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SOURCE Humane Farm Animal Care